What happens when you hand the mic to the youngest in a big, loud family? In this episode, Justin and Sarah welcome their daughter Ava for a truly unfiltered conversation. From sibling secrets and sports parent confessions to the realities of growing up with entrepreneurs as parents, nothing is off the table. Ava shares what it really takes to be heard in a family full of strong personalities, and why being the youngest can mean being both the funniest and the fiercest.

Honest, funny, and surprisingly moving, this episode shines a light on the unique challenges and gifts of the youngest child, the evolution of parenting, and the power of listening to your kids’ stories. Whether you’re raising your own crew, managing a family business, or just looking for a good laugh, you’ll find encouragement and real connection here.

What does it mean to really show up for someone? In this episode, we sit down with our longtime friends Jeff and Ed—a couple who’ve built a love that’s outlasted legal battles, shifting beliefs, and decades of change. Their story is honest, hilarious, and filled with the kind of friendship we all need.

We weren’t bad sports parents—we just had some things to unlearn. In this episode, we share the funny, cringey, and heartfelt moments of raising kids in competitive sports, how our own athletic pasts shaped us, and what we’re learning about leading with love instead of pressure. Whether you're a parent on the sidelines or in the thick of family life, this one’s for you.

We’re honored to share Martin and Heila Rowan’s story — a journey from young love and ambition to near loss and powerful rebuilding. Their honesty about marriage, business, and what it really means to choose each other again left us inspired.

Inspired by a conversation with Mike O’Reilly and the book Nobody Is Coming to Save You, I’ve been reflecting on how being generous with our scars can help us all feel less alone. That’s exactly what Sarah and I aim to do with the Running Ahrens podcast—share our real stories to help others navigate theirs.

This stage, parenting adult kids, doesn’t have a rulebook. But it has taught us that the greatest gift we can give is presence. Join me as I reflect on the messy, beautiful journey of letting go without losing connection.

Friendship, whether it’s with the one who’s known you for decades or the one who just gets you in this season, holds a quiet kind of power. In this blog, Sarah shares what these evolving friendships have taught her about trust, growth, and showing up for each other, no matter the season.

When we started “Running Ahrens,” I felt a twinge of fear—putting our messy, real lives out there was daunting. But vulnerability has a purpose: to connect, to encourage, and to remind us we’re never alone in the messy middle.

After 31 years of marriage, four kids, and decades of building businesses together, Sarah and I have learned this: it’s not about never falling—it’s about learning how to fall together, get back up, and keep running. This is the start of what we’ll be sharing—honest conversations about how to keep growing, stay connected, and build a life that lasts.

We didn’t start Running Ahrens because we had it all figured out. We started it because we didn’t. After more than 30 years of marriage, four kids, a few businesses, countless failures, some really beautiful wins, and an ongoing effort to be decent humans, we realized we had some stories to tell. Not because they’re perfect stories, but because they’re real ones.